


Marshmallows

by Linnea_Ancalime



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-31
Updated: 2015-12-31
Packaged: 2018-05-10 13:10:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5586880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Linnea_Ancalime/pseuds/Linnea_Ancalime
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur and Gwen go on a skiing trip with their friends, but manage to get lost in the woods. Fluff ensues.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Marshmallows

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AJsRandom](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AJsRandom/gifts).



> This was written for the [BBC Merlin Secret Santa 2015](http://bbcmerlinsecretsanta.tumblr.com/) on tumblr, and is a gift for [AJsRandom](http://ajsrandom.tumblr.com)! :3
> 
> I would like to thank [polestardean](http://polestardean.tumblr.com) for the proofreading.
> 
> I've played with form as well as content here: each scene is a drabble (exactly a hundred words, not counting punctuation) except one that's a double drabble. I hope you'll enjoy the result as much as I do~

'Come on, Arthur! It's not that hard!' Gwaine shouts from the end of the track, where Percival and him are waiting for the rest of the group. Percival elbows him in the ribs, earning a disapproving noise.

The (not-so secret) thing is that, despite all of the vacations he's had with his family, Arthur couldn't ski to save his life. Right now, he's trying to move forward, but it's as if his skis had a mind of their own and absolutely did _not_ want him to catch up.

He shouts back. 'Not when you've spent an entire life doing it!'

*********

He's managed to find a rhythm that works — okay, it's slow, but it _works_ , so it's not like he's going to complain. Besides, Gwaine has been out of sight for nearly an hour now, so he won't make fun of his (still very much modest) skills.

He's pleasantly surprised when he finds himself managing to keep pace with Gwen. He knows she's not a beginner; from what she told him, she's spent most of her Christmas vacations skiing when she was a kid. She just hasn't had an occasion to practice in a long time, and it shows a little.

*********

They soon start talking about this and that, enjoying each other's company.

'Oh, by the way, do you remember that time we went camping? When Merlin got lost and fell into a lake, and we had Morgana find him?'

Arthur laughs so hard he nearly falls off his skis. 'Yeah, yeah, I do. That was _brilliant_.' He pauses and catches his breath before adding with a smile, 'Of course it was, that was your idea.'

She giggles and shakes her head.

They're so engrossed in their conversation that neither of them notices that they're losing the others. (Not yet, anyway.)

*********

They look around. Gwen chews at her lip when she notices the sky darkening.

'Maybe we should go back,' she says.

'We're not lost, just a bit behind, that's all!'

She pulls her phone out of her pocket with a snort. 'Not sure I believe that. I'm just gonna call— oh no, come on!' She taps the screen, to no avail. 'It picked the worst time to die on me!' She looks at Arthur expectantly. 'Can I borrow yours?'

He pointedly avoids her gaze as he answers. 'I... think I forgot to take it this morning.'

'Great. That's just _great_.'

*********

'How are we even gonna get back?' She points at the sky. 'It's _snowing_ , Arthur. We can't even just turn back, we won't be able to follow our tracks.'

He clears his throat. 'Look, maybe I can get us there? I can't ski, okay, but at least my sense of direction isn't that bad.'

She nods, unimpressed. 'Yeah, okay. I mean, we're lost, with no phones, _and_ it's snowing. It can't really get worse.'

They both bend down to remove their skis — it's easier to walk; the snow on the ground isn't deep, the flakes in the air still small.

*********

The snowflakes are getting bigger and bigger as time passes, and it seems that Arthur and Gwen are getting more and more lost (although Arthur probably wouldn't admit it).

'Hey, I think I know where we are!' he says with a sigh of relief (that quickly turns into a sigh of defeat when he remembers that yes, he's already seen that tree, but _after_ they got lost). She stares at him, then at the tree, and frowns.

'I almost believed you when you said that, you know?'

He looks into the distance to avoid her gaze... and squints at something.

*********

'There's a cabin there!' He points at it, glancing at her. 'Do you think it's worth checking out?'

'We should probably go for it. We'll still be lost, but at least we won't get _more_ lost. Or freeze to death. Or get buried in snow.' She scans the sky — the flakes are getting bigger still and float in the wind (there's wind now? Sounds like it actually _could_ get worse) — and sets off, looking back to check that he follows.

It's not that far, but it feels like it; partly because they don't talk, partly because a snow storm threatens.

*********

Gwen peers inside through the window. 'There doesn't seem to be anyone here,' she says. 'I just hope there's better food than cereal bars.'

Arthur snorts, taken by surprise; it earns him a raised eyebrow, but at least they're talking again. 'Well, let's see about that,' he says as he opens the door and steps aside to let her through.

It's small, but it will do. There's wood stacked in a corner, the fireplace looks big enough, the bed-couch comfortable (though a bit worn), and it's clean enough that Arthur finds himself hoping for (relatively) fresh food in the pantry.

*********

They hang their besnowed outfits and bags at the hooks behind the door; Gwen shakes her hair to let the snowflakes fall. Arthur goes directly for the pantry, and lets out a triumphant exclamation at the sight of the food. He picks a few cans, and goes to put them on the coffee table near the sofa.

In the meantime, Gwen's opened a cupboard and found a huge (so-huge-you-can't-see-her-face, actually) pile of blankets, which she brings to the couch. She bumps into Arthur, and he barely has time to catch the falling blankets before she trips and falls on him.

*********

'Oh my god, I'm so sorry! Did I hurt you?' She frantically throws the blankets aside; luckily, he's still breathing, but his face has turned a very... interesting... shade of red.

'Yeah, I'm, uh, I'm fine. Can I sit up?'

'Of course you c—' she starts. 'Oh. _Oh_.' She feels herself blushing as she scrambles back. 'Sorry. I didn't mean to do that,' she laughs nervously. She picks up the blankets and puts them on the couch, giving herself an excuse to look at... well, anywhere but Arthur, who gets up, clears his throat, and quietly walks towards the fireplace.

*********

Arthur pulls a lighter out of his pocket and picks a few logs before kneeling in front of the fireplace. He's trying to get the fire going (he doesn't really know how to do that either, okay? It's usually someone else who takes care of that when they all go camping, so he's never really bothered to learn) and cursing the pile of wood that just _doesn't want to take_ , when he feels Gwen crouch down next to him.

'Let me?' she says, fondness in her voice.

He hands over the lighter without a word, gets up and steps back.

*********

The fire is blazing in the fireplace by the time they sit down to eat.

'I wish I had some marshmallows with me,' Gwen says, giggling. 'It would have been nice to get, like, roasted puffy sugar stuff instead of, you know—' She points at the tins on the table and laughs. 'Canned vegetables.'

Arthur can't help but smile. 'You know, I, uh. May have some in my backpack?' He feels warm, seeing Gwen burst out laughing like that.

'You forgot your phone, but you packed _marshmallows_? God, you're unbelievable!'

 'Do you want me to get them?'

She nods, grinning.

*********

They've brought the couch closer to the fireplace, and now Gwen's roasting marshmallows and she feels so good she can't help but grin at Arthur, who smiles back.

'You know,' he starts.

'Yeah?'

He looks at the ceiling, as if trying to find his words. 'It's actually nice that I got us lost? I mean, not because we're lost, but because it's nice being alone here, just the two of us,' he says as she swallows her marshmallow, and she feels it going down the wrong way and she's coughing and _that was bad timing_ —

She feels his hands on her arms and finds herself gazing into his eyes as her cough dies down. 'You okay?'

'Yeah,' she breathes. And she decides, _fuck it_ , and seizes the moment and kisses him — she wasn't expecting the small gasp, or the kissing back (he's kissing back?!), or the tight hug, but she'll take it all because it's _glorious_. (She may or may not have had the biggest, most embarrassing crush on Arthur since they first met, and she may or may not have complained about it to Merlin every so often. Either way, it sure as hell feels like an achievement unlocked.)

*********

The light dawns through the window, and the first sunbeam falls on the couch, waking him up. He's disoriented at first, not recognising the room, and the blankets feel scratchier than his. The impression fades quickly when he feels locks on his cheek, though (they're _Gwen's_! He still can't believe that. Also, Morgana's going to tease them both to _death_ ). He sits up slowly so as not to wake Gwen up, and looks around. The fire has died down during the night, but it's warm under the blankets. He decides to go back to sleep; nothing urgent awaits, after all.

*********

'You owe me fifty bucks, Emrys,' Morgana says, smirking.

'Can't we split? It was _my_ idea, I just thought it wouldn't work!' Merlin shudders dramatically. 'And it's cold! We spent the night outside in the snow, do you realise the toll it's taken on me?'

'Nuh-uh~ Fifty bucks or I'm telling them it was your fault.'

He rolls his eyes and pulls his wallet out. 'Fine.' He rummages around in it. 'But I think I'm broke?'

Morgana snorts. 'Leave it. You should probably stop the storm, we don't want them to get snowed in and starve.'

His eyes flash gold.

**Author's Note:**

> The original prompt was this: "A/G or M/M, maybe both- they go on a skiing trip right before one of the holidays and somehow get separated from their group (avalanche? bad sense of direction? etc.) and get stuck together in a cabin overnights, snowed in (?) and crushes come to light." I've strayed a teeny bit (it's not exactly "right before the holidays", more during them), but I hope you liked it~
> 
> (I'm not a native English speaker, so please tell me if you notice anything that feels weird vocabulary- or grammar-wise ^^")


End file.
